Real Life RPG
by Retorica
Summary: Make a character, decide a personality, then act it out. That's it—a role-playing game. Nothing will get on the way, right? [ LenxRin ]
1. Chapter 00: Start

~~This story was originally uploaded on August 27 (server time) in 2013 but I took it down for some reason.  
~~This chapter has been replaced with a newer, rewritten version in September 23, 2016.

So this is it. And moving on to things I need to point out...

• This story has nothing to do with RPG as a video game genre. It is what it says; a 'role-playing game'.  
• The theme of this story is self-hatred, personas, and acts.  
• No death is involved in this story. Or at least, no death of the main characters.

_Everything is an act, and acting is different from lying._

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story.

* * *

**Prologue**

**"Start"**

* * *

The voice that hung on the crisp air kept on ringing throughout the small park in the neighborhood. Accompanied by the nostalgic creaking of the swing's rusted hinges, its soft and gentle melody reaching his ears in a graceful motion, sending a surge of chill down his spine.

The weather had gotten chillier. Once in a while a gust of wind flew by, bringing along brown leaves away while at the same time disarraying his blond locks even messier. Even the scarf he was wearing seemed not to be enough to keep him from the cold. With a hitched take of breath, he took a step forward, walking closer to the source of voice.

The leaves he stepped on made a crunching noise as it crumbled beneath him. It was almost impossible to sneak noiselessly as every step he took was followed by that noise, making his presence clear in the ears of the others. As far as he could see, no concrete could be seen, it was a sheet of leaves filling every spot of the road perfectly. His eyes wandered upwards for a brief moment, looking at a nearby tree through his spectacles. Sure enough, there were barely any leaves left on it, leaving it looming lifelessly over the park.

He turned away, once again treading his way to the open park. In every step he took, he could hear the voice becoming clearer in his ears. Odd, because there were already many sounds that filled his hearing—the creaking hinges, the crunching leaves, they still hadn't left him. And yet, that melodious voice kept on ringing, luring him away from the place he was, becoming louder than what he thought was possible.

The shy light from the sun landed on his sneakers-covered feet at last, the fences were no longer protecting him in its shadows. Finally reaching its end, it exposed him to the open space. Without having to cross over the metal railings, he could see it, a lone figure sitting on the swings—

In a suddenness, a harsh gust of wind blew, not only cutting the music in his ears abruptly but also forcing him to close his eyes from the strong force. His step halted as he waited for the wind to run by, letting the moment pass in a whiz. He could feel it, he could hear it, his scarf flapping wildly, his ears drumming loudly, all was caused by the wind.

All the commotion suddenly disappeared into nothing once the wind stopped blowing. Nothing; not even a single sound. The singing was no more, the rusty hinges didn't fill the air with its noise anymore, and he halted along with them. As if everything had been taken away along with the wind. He opened his eyes to see the leaves slowly taking its place on the ground, fluttering softly with the soundless breeze. In the midst of it was that figure, staying unmoving on the now still swing. The only motion that she was making was brushing her bangs off her face, trying to put it back to its place with her fingers. Only slightly, her hair that she put in two high ponytails flowed with the quiet wind. But that was to it; her figure stayed, she didn't push the swing back and forth.

It was all silence.

Until it was the time for their eyes to meet. His dark-blue ones with her turquoise ones, finding one in another. They met. The two of them finally met, in the lone, empty park in the middle of the autumn chill, surrounded with fallen brown leaves…

Just like what had been written down before.

* * *

"About yourself."

Deliberately leaving her words hanging, she turned to face the dirt underneath her feet. Her eyes were casted down, dimming the light it held before being covered by her own shadows. Laid before her eyes were scattered brown leaves, its color matching the shade of the dried stubs of wild grass. But she knew. Even if she raised her head and looked ahead, the world around her would be in the same hue of desaturated brown. Although there would still be some livelier yellows and reds decorating the scenery, the dullness seemed to consume them away.

After all, they won't last long. Sooner or later they will wilt, withered away with the wind once the winter starts breathing its freezing air. They will be gone, having no existence left in the world, _dead_. And them turning to a duller color is just a natural process of that life cycle, before it all ends.

It didn't take long before she uttered the rest of her words. "Don't you hate it?"

She kicked the dirt, leaving some staining her black uniform shoes. Her sudden movement made the swing shake for some milliseconds before moving backwards from the momentum, taking her along. The metal chains in her hands rattled as she took grip on it, so that she wouldn't fall from the speeding swing.

He watched her for some good moment. Her eyes were no longer fixated to the ground when she took the swing, and instead, she was looking ahead to the scenery she could take. The expression didn't change much, however. Her stare seemed to be too distant, as if she was looking at a nothingness despite all the colors spread out in front of her eyes. From his position, from her movement, he knew that it should be hard for him to see her face, but he just did—sometimes things such as that was simply confusing, but he chose not to be consumed in the confusion. Slowly turning his head away from the moving swing, he followed where her far-away stare were going.

"I've told you before. I can't really blame anyone else but myself."

The old swing made too much noise as it swung back and forth. Its frame seemed fragile; although it was still strong enough to hold itself, it creaked loudly, as if grunting in pain at the harsh movement. Anybody could take a good guess about the time it had went through by hearing the shrilling creaks it made. He didn't mind much, despite its loudness drowning his voice away. The rhythm it made, the constant tempo it flowed along with, it sounded like a pleasant melody rather than a disturbance.

When he lightly pushed the swing with his feet, however, only a small squeak came from the hinges. Of course, he thought with a sigh, he wasn't swinging it as fast as she was. The sound wouldn't rival hers—he didn't even know if it was audible at all for her, she didn't stop swinging fast on the swing beside him. He wondered what was in her mind while she was at it, looking really absorbed into it.

He turned back to her, throwing out another question to her, "Do you?"

Her answer was immediate. "Hm?" She turned her head to him. Her teal hair was covering most of her face before she brushed them off with her fingers, although it didn't stop the wind from throwing the rest into a wild mess. A thin smile appeared on her face, a ghostly one forced on her lips, and a breathy laugh escaped her mouth. "I guess I'm just desperate. Like, if I had the choice to end it all, then I'd take that for sure."

He didn't spend even a second to think. "Don't you? Pull out the blade and draw your last breath."

Her smile then grew wider. "Will you? Pull out the blade and draw your last breath."

And she shoved her shoes to the ground, stopping the swing's movement altogether. "I won't let that happen to you."

Her voice, followed by the silence from the now nonexistent creaking noise, lasted long in his head. For more than once, it repeated itself, until he could fully understand the meaning of her words. But, no. He, in fact, still couldn't grasp the actual meaning behind her words. Her contradicting words sounded like a total nonsense, something not to be taken seriously, just like a mockery.

"I'll do it if I want to," he told her. "Have you started to hate me as well?"

After all, he knew why she should hate him. Even _himself_ hated him. There was no reason for her not to when he himself did. It shouldn't be surprising even the slightest bit… should it?

"Quite the opposite, actually." She stood up, leaving the swing rattling behind her. "I don't hate you. That's why, I've got something to tell you."

He heard her shoes thumping on the soil, its voice muffled. And before he knew it, she was now standing right in front of him, against the sun. Her face was casted in her own shadows, but the close proximity of their faces made it clearly visible in his eyes. She was smiling, her eyes were full with glint of enjoyment. He couldn't tell it just by her smile, but her eyes, those eyes didn't seem to lie to him. It was what a genuine smile would look like.

"How about we play a game?"

The wind whistled, tickling his ears with its faint tune. On the corner of his eyes he could see the leaves swooping the ground, running as if they were racing to see who's the fastest while making a ruckus only audible to themselves. He didn't let go of the chains, instead, holding on it tight and keeping it stationary, unlike the unoccupied swing beside of him that creaked silently, lightly being pushed by the unseen force. Silence fell upon them as soon as the wind stopped blowing. Perhaps what wasn't moving from of the wind was her, standing still in front of him. Her expression didn't change even a bit; the same smile was staying, matching perfectly with the mischievous glint in her eyes. The wind didn't falter her, and just by looking at her, he knew that perhaps nothing would falter her.

"A game?"

"A game. A role-playing game."

Her words intrigued him. He wanted to hear the rest, the words she was holding in that smile; he couldn't help but having an interest in it. If anything, it was the innocence in those words that made him feel at ease, but the rest left him uneasy at the same time. Two feelings, contradicting each other, neither able to take control of him wholly. For a moment, he felt like he was unable to breathe. The world might be moving along with the flow of time, but not him. Those feelings were for sure, mocking him for not being able to make his choice on one.

"Continuing on living this way is almost an impossibility, after all."

The desperation in her voice was his final answer.

* * *

The person occupying the swing, he noticed, wasn't the same girl he had met the day before.

Her eyes weren't for a bit unfamiliar; he had seen those eyes several times, even in the day before. And although people could argue about how beautiful the color of those eyes was, it wasn't about that. Her eyes held a completely different light in it, an unfamiliarity, as if it was a different soul that resided in her. But perhaps, that was true. He knew. It was something only they knew.

That was a role she was playing.

It was a role-playing game she was playing.

Who was standing in the place he was standing in wasn't supposed to be him, either.

Without realizing, he had his eyes narrowed. All the thoughts silenced him, even he found himself still unmoving despite of the now ceased wind. He felt her stare not leaving him anytime soon, but he could not make his mind just yet; what is it that he needs to do right at that moment?

A familiarity flashed on her eyes, a quick one which he unknowingly managed to catch, the moment in which the person that was not there came and go. It was less than a blink of eye—and gone. And returned back was the figure who filled the autumn sky with those harmonious melody. Yet, it was crystal clear. What he should do, the answer was crystal clear. He knew what exactly made him hesitate for a moment, and he knew what he had to do as an answer for that matter.

The stage laid before his eyes—not merely within the eyesight, but beyond what the eye can reach. The whole time and space, the whole world he was living in, the entirety of it; everything was the stage. Not even once he ever stepped on the stage of play, whether it's big or small. Yet, the circumstances left him with no other option; he has now set his foot on the stage floor. All he had to do was putting on his act, blending in with the background setting they offered, and doing his role.

Being one play that had no script other than the one scene she sent as a text message in the day before, _"They meet each other for the first time in the park during one windy autumn afternoon,"_ an improvisation would be much required. For him who was completely unfamiliar with it, it seemed to be a great challenge he had to overcome. What was it that he needed to become? What kind of person was he going to portray? Did it actually matter? All he needed to do was _to act_, right?

That was more a rhetorical question rather than an actual one that needs a definitive answer.

The wind would blow once in a while to fill the emptiness in his hearing. She was still looking at him, and what made him aware of that was the fact that he too, was still looking at her. Her, who now had stopped rocking the swing back and forth. Her, who was exchanging silent glances with him. Her, who held such a gentle smile on her face. Her, a person he had never seen before. Her, who was not _her_.

She did it well.

He thought, he would go on and do the same thing. Becoming someone else by erasing his own existence from the world for a brief moment for the sake of that person's existence was how. Even if his existence was put at stake, he wouldn't mind at all. He'd let that embrace him. He'd let that consume him. He'd let that take him along, away, from where he was—

The real life role-playing game.

* * *

Yet, until the very end, he never disappeared.


	2. Chapter 01: The Start of an End

~~Not a new chapter! But I turned an originally 1k-word-prologue into a 3k-word-chapter because I feel it was too short? Also there's a scene that wasn't in the old chapter.

The next chapter is nearly done and shouldn't take _that_ long to get published. It depends on some other factors, though.

* * *

**Chapter 01**

**"The Start of an End"**

* * *

He enjoyed the moments with her.

The place where he was _supposed _to have as many social interactions as possible had turned its back on him. Asking for someone who could at least understand him was too much for a wish—that was the unfortunate truth, he was well aware of that. Asking for a friend would be a wish that was beyond impossible, he concluded, so that was how things were going.

Of course, deep inside, he'd _love _to kill himself. Not from the way things were going, but from how he simply let things be. But he'd never be able to. Although he always had that intention, along with something that was, perhaps, more than just thoughts and intentions. He was a coward, after all.

After getting that kind of treatment in his everyday life, finally having someone like her around felt nice. Although he didn't know if he actually thought of her as a friend or not. She was simply 'around' at the times when he would usually be alone—not the 'alone' when he was secluded from the other classmates, but the 'alone' when he was completely _alone_, both socially and physically. She wasn't exactly the cure that he needed—it was beyond impossible, after all—but at least her presence in the other side of his life, where he wasn't as miserable as when he was in that living hell, added more color. Not exactly the bright color, but it wasn't a dull one, either.

Since he lived by himself, it was natural for him to do his own houseworks; that was his simple other-side-of-his-life. An 'alone' life which he didn't feel 'lonely', at least not as lonely as when he was at school. And during those times, after the clock struck four, she would come to his house every now and then. When he was busied with the laundries, dishes, or even when he was going out shopping, she would be there. Most of the times, she would lend her hand as well, but when she wasn't, she simply would just talk.

She was quite the chatterbox, talking about a lot of things, although it rarely was something about herself or her life matters—some borders weren't meant to be crossed, and he wasn't planning on crossing it, either. From that, he noticed that she wasn't as quiet as he expected her to be at first. Day by day, she just seemed to talk more and more—but he knew that this was just a common sense. At first they were nobodies. There's absolutely no need to talk that much to someone you barely know, but once you get close to someone, it becomes natural to talk to them, even about things you thought you wouldn't say to anyone.

That was almost like saying that they were, indeed, no longer 'nobodies' to each other. Yet, he still hadn't considered her as his friend. And it was the same from her side. None of them had said the word, "We're friends now," even just once, and even without the actual verbal or written words.

They were companions who became companions because they couldn't help it. They were stuck with each other, not having any more choices they could make. They had nobody, nobody else but each other. They were not friends, but that was more than enough.

They knew how the world revolves, they knew how asking for more would be so, so much selfish. They knew it all, and they were trying to accept it all.

* * *

"You don't talk much, do you?"

He glanced at her. "Wasn't it you who talks too much?"

"I guess it's just natural for a girl to talk much. Compared to other boys, I mean, you're rather silent."

"It's not really wrong to say that boys generally talk less than girls, then, if that's your reasoning." He smiled to himself. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her eyes, staring at him. "But does that mean you're close with a boy—or some boys? Being able to compare me to them like that..."

She shifted on her seat, he noticed. "N-not really, actually. You know how I am—although, well... Well, I've said it, _you know_."

_You know_, she said. Just exactly like what she said, he knew what she meant by that. A something that maybe someone else wouldn't know, but _he knew_. It was just like a secret between the two of them. Not a sweet secret—_it wasn't even anything sweet_, it was just the truth that left bitter taste when said.

This time, he turned his head to face her properly. Face-to-face, eyes-to-eyes. Upon landing his sight on her blueish green eyes, he felt like he was being absorbed by its clarity, its sparkle. Such eyes, a physical entity, had much more than what he could see with his own eyes. They held many expressions, some of which she had told him during their time together, and some was the ones that were left unknown for him. That was what lured him deeper and deeper. The search for the real her was a never-ending journey for him.

Yet people simply think of her so shallowly. Yes, she was _perfect_; it was a general statement to describe her. Too perfect, perhaps, that she was a easy-target to envy. The way it flowed—"find a target, make her as the _ijimerarekko*_, life goes on"—sounded so simple, too simple for such a serious matter.

It was a serious matter, indeed. Something that had plunged her into self-hate was nothing that could be taken lightly.

She was perfect, yes, he would admit it. Although he thought his view on her perfection was different. Besides, the same view would lead him to the same envious feeling towards her. It was a whole different feeling that led him into liking her—no, maybe something more than a feeling of like.

"Hey." Her voice woke him up from his thoughts. She spoke slower than usual, as if trying to reach him and making sure that she was able to reach him. "You know, if it's you, I wouldn't mind being close. Even closer. The closer, the better."

Sure, hearing those words right after thinking about her left him feeling off-guard. It felt as if she had just found a gap and so she could delve into his mind to know what he was thinking. He knew that it was just a coincidence, yet deep inside a voice told him that there's no such thing as coincidence—that was no coincidence, maybe she _did _find her way into his mind. Although he said nothing about that, and just let her continue on with what she might want to say.

"What about... what if we go out, the two of us?" She was being careful with her words, as if one mistake she made in her words would turn the whole situation.

She turned the atmosphere, however. The room just suddenly felt foreign for him despite knowing it very well that it was his living room they were in, as if her words made him forget about everything. He found himself unable to look away from her eyes, which now showing an expression he couldn't really tell—not because the expression itself was unreadable, but because he _couldn't _tell. He couldn't think straight. Her words froze his whole thought.

Yet slowly, something stirred inside. The feeling in his heart. It was a weird feeling, not something that made him comfortable.

He almost jumped when he felt her hands grabbing his. At last, he could look away from her, he unconsciously averted his gaze to somewhere else when he got surprised by her sudden touch. Her sudden, yet gentle touch. Then slowly, the warmth from her hands reached him. It felt nice, it felt assuring, it made him able to think straight for once more.

Now that he could think, he knew that he was just nervous. He wasn't expecting something like that to come out from her mouth whether it was sooner or later; it was natural for him to get surprised.

Actually, once he was able to snap out from the shock, he felt a lot of things came flooding into his mind at once. If anything, what he was feeling was confused. Sure, her idea of asking him out was nothing deeper than a middle-schooler's attempt to experience love. But his confusion came out from that exact reason. He knew, he admitted it that he _liked _her—but it wasn't just a 'like', it was something more.

And that something more was... love? Or was it something else? But what would be more than 'like' if it wasn't 'love'?

He was just going to rake his brain for an answer—because a nagging feeling inside of him told him that _there's something else that's more than 'like', yet it's not 'love'_—but having those hands clutching on his, was as if she was trying to give him an answer to his utter confusion. His previous doubt just disappeared, and all that mattered then was her.

His eyes found its way back to hers. What he got in return was her sincere smile that reached her eyes. It radiated. Suddenly being next to her felt more comfortable, having their hands touching gave more spark than usual, looking at each other's eyes accelerated his heartbeat—their heartbeats.

He knew that there was more to her that he didn't know, he wanted to know, and he would know. He'd be willing to find it out because he loved her.

"_If it's you, I wouldn't mind being close_."

And their feeling was mutual.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

He felt a cold sensation surging from his shoulder to his whole body. It didn't come to him immediately, but soon he realized that it was her hand—her cold hand on his bare shoulder. She wasn't touching him the way she had been touching him—the soft tingly and teasing touch—and instead it was a hard, forceful push. They didn't inch away; she didn't mean to _push _him away, anyway. She was _stopping _him.

She noticed his hesitation; that was why.

Smiling slyly just like she usually did to him, she caressed his cheek with the slim fingers of her other hand. He flinched, but didn't she just do the same thing not so long ago, and he accepted it willingly?

Then her moist pink lips parted, slowly moving to form some words—her smile unfaltering. "I know that you, too, hate me. But do you hate me so much that you feel my body is that disgusting?"

Those words, although only said in such a short period of time, hit him really hard. It weighed him. All at once; the realization came down to him. His confusion and his doubt about his feeling towards her at the beginning, things he figured out when trying to know her better, his hesitation just now; everything made sense now.

It was exactly as what she said. That more-than-like feeling was no love. It was no such thing called love, even from the beginning.

He hated her. _He hated her so much_.

Deep, deep inside, he knew. It wasn't like he could ignore the nagging feeling inside of him. _That more-than-like feeling was hate_, it said. Yet he believed that nagging feeling, along with his confusion, came out from the fact that he didn't know her that well yet to be able to 'love' her.

And for that reason, too, he agreed to her idea of going out. Maybe from going out, he would know her more. Maybe from going out, he could love her more. Such a naïve thought he had back then. Of course he didn't expect things to turn that way—him trying to know her better to _love _her more, only to know her better to _hate _her more.

But he knew. His relationship with her had always been so complicated from the beginning, anyway. Having that kind of thought, even just for once, was a complete naivety—stupidity?—of his.

He didn't know what kind of face he was making right now. A surprised face? Or perhaps something more like bewilderment? He didn't know, but it was an expression that pleased her. By logic, it would be hard to see her face from the way his shadow blocked most of his sight, but he saw her—and her smile—just fine. Things he could see clearly in a complete darkness, that was just like a ghost; that smile haunted him.

It wasn't even the most haunting smile she could make. By the time he realized that, her smile only grew bigger, curling up her lips as far as it could stretch. He felt her fingers stroking his cheek again—he had forgotten that her hand was still touching his face until this moment, and that soft yet deceitful movement made him shudder.

"If you really think that way, there's nothing wrong with breaking up, you know."

She let out a slight laugh when she said that. Slowly, she let her fingers trail down to his jaws before pulling it away from his face. "Would you move aside, then?"

He could hear the shuffling of the sheet, along with some hardly noticeable bounce of the bed. There was one last creaking sound before the shuffling became unheard. Even without seeing—he didn't want to see, anyway—he could tell her movements from the sounds. The room was too quiet that even the slightest sounds were clearly audible. The zipping sound of her securing up her skirt, the swishing sound of her scooping up her shirt, the snapping sound of her pressing her coat buttons... he could hear them all.

While she was putting her decencies back on, he only stayed there, trying to bury himself down in the sheets. His mind was full with things, he just couldn't comprehend it. He felt numb. He wasn't sure what the reason was, but it rendered him motionless.

The room fell into a silence of nothingness. He assumed that she must have done dressing up. At the same time he felt an intense glance directed to him—his back. He knew he was having his back on her.

"I guess I'll just go home, then." Her voice sounded hollow, a complete opposite of the voice before, the voice full of mischief. It didn't matter. She was allowed to speak with any expression she wanted, anyway. He could care less about that. _What _she said was the thing that alarmed him, though.

He was aware how late it was.

He shot up, turning his head in such a fast motion. He stopped at the sight of her face—her eyes, feeling the need to stare at it. He couldn't bear it for a long time, though, and decided to speak without looking at her. "It's late. Let me walk you ho—"

"No need." She didn't even let him finish his word before cutting him, giving out a statement straight to the point. "I've asked someone to pick me up, no need to walk me home this night."

That sent him a great relief. A really great one, perhaps the greatest relief he had felt for the last week or so. Thinking about having to spend some moments to walk her home, which in other words meant being with her for some 'good' fifteen minutes, was an unpleasant thought. It was merely a thought, yet... He just didn't want to be with her, at least for that moment.

Maybe, not only for that moment. He was okay if he didn't see her for the next, two, or four years. He really didn't care. He was beyond okay; he would be thrilled, to be honest.

"I'll take my leave now, then. Good bye." He heard her voice rang. It was followed by the sound of her footsteps, but it stopped before he could hear the sound of the front door being opened.

What else now?

He knew, she had got something up again. After heaving out a sigh, he got up, pulling the sheets off the bed and dragged it along with him to wrap his body. Even the floor was cold under his bare feet. He just couldn't imagine walking without having himself wrapped.

It was no surprise that he found her standing unmoving in front of the door, her back facing him. She had her hand on the handle already, but stayed frozen in her standing place.

"What is it?" he cut it short. He just wanted her to go away—why didn't she just go?

Upon hearing his voice, she turned around and faced him. He knew; she did this all on purpose. Because of that, he had expected her to have an ear-to-ear smile on her face when she saw him compelled by her 'call'. But she didn't. Her face was all unreadable. "You can hate me and all. I'm okay with that. But no matter how much you hate me, or how much you hate yourself... I'll never hate you."

That was the last thing that came out from either of their mouths. The next thing he could hear was the sound of the door being closed.

It was all silence in the house.

* * *

"Good mornin—ow, are you okay? Your eyes are bloodshot red, and you look kinda pale." She looked at him with concern, removing her shoes as she did so. "Perhaps we can skip today?"

_That _was what she said?

He shook his head slowly. "No need, I just didn't get enough sleep last night." He stepped aside to give her some room to walk in.

She smiled brightly. "Well, if you said so."

He closed the door behind him, then followed the girl who was already making her way. Like she usually did, she walked into the house, opening doors and entering the rooms as if it was inside of her own house. He could understand, though. Due to how often she went to his house for their work matters, that place probably felt like her second home already.

At least, that was what he would think if only the previous night didn't happen. To be able to brush the matter off as if it was nothing like that...

"So, today is..." Her voice came again. Hearing that, he noticed that she was seated on the couch already. She flipped his notebook, searching for a certain page. When she finally found the writing she was looking for, she let out an, "Eh? You got this thing finished already? Without telling me like that... Well, it's time to try it out, then."

He said nothing. He did nothing. He just stood there near the only door on that room, watching her as she walked around the room light-heartedly with his notebook in her hands, humming some song while doing so. The previous night was nothing for her, probably. It was nothing at all.

And he was bothered by that fact.

So much.

He was too bothered that he didn't pay his attention to her anymore. It was her doings that he was thinking about. Perhaps he was too deep in his thought, that when the awareness came back to him, her face was just some inches away from his. It surprised him for sure—wasn't the last time he looked, she was walking further to the other end of the room? How did she get to his side so fast?

And the first thing she did after getting his attention back was ripping his glasses off.

"What's with the half-hearted act? Be more serious." She snarled. That snarl; he knew that she had quitted her all-innocent act. "I know you're bothered by last night's event, but I gotta remind you, it has nothing to do with them."

Then it dawned upon him. Ah, of course, she had got a point there. It had nothing to do with them, at all. It was his bad for bringing that matter along—his mind was too messed up, he admitted that.

His hard look softened, although that still didn't make him feel any more comfortable with the current situation. Especially with the fact that the one who was standing in front of him was her, the person from the previous night. At least he didn't have to see her face as clear as the night before.

He sighed.

She let him go this time. "I'll just let you know that we can't stop this. For now. No matter what happens to 'us' right now, it has nothing to do with 'them'."

"I'm aware of that. Not that anybody said that it was the end for them," he said. "Perhaps that was my fault for being too distracted because of you, but something like that won't happen again."

She smiled after hearing that coming out from his mouth. "Oh? If you said so, make sure you really do. I'm sorry for occupying your mind, anyway."

He intensified his glare, transmitting his hard feelings wordlessly.

She remained unfaltering; even her smile stayed in its place. After not hearing him agreeing to anything, she took the chance to continue speaking. "So? Shall we continue?"

He grabbed his glasses she had taken off. While putting it back, he answered, "Let's just continue."

She smiled, curling up her lips as much as it could stretch. "It's settled, then. This real life role-playing game continues. Be nice to me this time as well, okay?"

He stared straight into her blueish green eyes, trying to figure out what kind of intention she was having this time. _He never be able to, anyway_. But no matter if he could figure it out or not, no matter what her true intention was, he had no choice. The game must continue.

"... Same here."

* * *

_*ijimerarekko_: bullied kid

* * *

~~By the way, also as a response to a reviewer, this story is not LenxMiku. **It's not LenxMiku**. I assure you. You know the word "development"? Just need to point that out considering the number of LenxMiku hate out there.

Review Reply:  
Guest — I don't even know who you are and if you will read this, but thanks for the review! Ah, you caught me. But even a RinxLen story sometimes needs LenxMiku, doesn't it? And sorry I fail you at the 'update soon'. Still, thank you for the review, anonymous guest!

Also thanks for EchoLinux, Lalala, and MysterySeeker03 for the reviews. The reply will be included in the next chapter. My gratitude also goes out to the people who put this story in their favorite, alerts, and the readers!


	3. Chapter 02: April

**Chapter 02**

**"April"**

* * *

A loud ring sounded throughout the room, its simple melody repeating all over and over again, cutting through the peaceful silence.

The sound tickled his ears, playfully trying to reach his hearing. Ringing and fading, it sounded like a familiar tone. After heaving a sigh, he opened his heavy eyelids, wondering where the sound came out from. It was not his alarm clock—even in his half-awake state, he recognized the repeating melody not as the sound he woke up to everyday.

It wasn't his alarm clock. It wasn't the cue for him to wake up. Maybe that sound was just his imagination, something that came out from from his dream realm. He squeezed his eyes, turning around to bury himself into the sheets. He wasn't exactly awake, but he knew that he had to go back to sleep. Sleep was very much needed…

Yet that sound continued to ring. It wasn't from his dream, he concluded, as the continuous ring made him feel more and more awake. It got to the point that he became conscious enough to finally recognize the endlessly-repeating sound as his ringtone.

Who would have called in such hour?

All he wanted was his sleep; he fumbled for his phone inside of the dark room with his half-opened eyes, trying to find its position on the bedside table by using his hand. Once he finally able to take it into his hand—surprisingly it hadn't stopped ringing, and it began to annoy him—he clumsily tried to press the huge green button on the screen. Without even bothering to see the caller ID, he brought the receiver to his ears. "Mind to explain why you're calling so late in the night?" He wanted to snap at the person, but he was too tired and sleepy to do that.

It was silence from the other line. His suspicion rose up. It could be someone accidentally calling his number, or someone who mistook his number with someone else's. Either way, he felt rather annoyed of himself for not checking the caller ID beforehand. And as he thought of pulling away his phone, a feminine-sounding voice could be heard. "Um, in English, please?" She sounded hesitant with her words.

He was confused with the fact that she spoke in English. Not because he didn't understand the language—he could understand what she was saying very well—but why would anyone speak in English? And that request of hers practically came out of nowhere.

It was only his sleep-induced lagging mind that caused the confusion. Suddenly he felt really awake, and everything made sense for him. That voice, that language, and that request; now he could recognize it. "Lily…" He stopped himself, realizing that his voice came out scratchy and almost inaudible. He coughed a bit, then repeated what he wanted to say, "Lily-nee… aren't you." It wasn't even a question he gave her.

Despite the fact that he didn't comply with her request and answered her in Japanese anyway, she continued talking in English. "You didn't check the caller ID? And I told you to speak in English—"

"It's a little over midnight here. Why are you calling?" Came his initial question, in which he finally said in English. He knew that his sister was far from excellent in Japanese. Even without that request, he would have switched if knowing that it was his sister, otherwise he couldn't keep the conversation going.

"Oh," she said, her tone raising up. The hesitation that was previously in her voice was now gone. "Is it? I usually call you in these hours and you weren't complaining so I thought it was fine."

He was staring at particularly nothing. Only being lit by the dim bedside lamp, his room was too dark for him to see anything. What he was certain of was, it was the ceiling he would see if he looked up. "Yeah," he absentmindedly answered. "Tomorrow's first day of school. It'd be good if I sleep early, so that's what I _was_ trying to do."

His sister's attempt to hold her laugh was useless—he could even hear it from the other line. "Well, sorry. Only if you told me before, Len!" she said between giggles.

A sigh involuntarily escaped his mouth. It wasn't a sigh of disappointment, however. It was relief, if it could be called that, as if hearing that made him finally able to release something he had been holding in.

It came out from the depth of her heart. Although she didn't say it gently or in any way different than usual—she was laughing saying that—but that was how he knew that she was sincere.

From the back of his mind, _her_ voice resounded. It was his name that she said, the exact name like what he just heard from the receiver. Yet, it sounded much different, much… deadlier. As if it was sprinkled by poison, said from her venomous mouth, yet he found it alluring. It was really as if she was trying to pull him into her traps and taking him as her prey—by calling his name.

The thought made him feel uneasy. But as he heard his sister's voice once again, he was brought back to the reality and that feeling went away by itself. "Just how late do you usually sleep, anyways? Not gonna be good for your health, you know," she said.

At first he tried to rack his brain for an answer, but later he found it completely useless to try to remember such a trivial matter. "It really doesn't matter, Lily-nee. No need to get worried like that."

"Not this again," she sang in a small voice, but purposely loud enough for him to hear. "Come on, I'm your sister! Let me worry for just a bit—especially since you're literally living on the other side of the earth. It's completely normal to get worried, though?"

"No? Because you shouldn't be worried about a fifteen-year-old when you're twenty yourself?"

That sister of his, she just never changed, he thought as he closed his eyes, taking himself back to a far-away memory. Of course, it began at that day. He was nowhere in her place—or even anything similar to that, but of course, he could understand her reasoning.

He wondered how much it took a toll on her; what happened back then.

"—you there? Hello?" Her voice reached his ears, albeit slowly, waking him up from the sleep he involuntarily fell into.

"Uh… yeah?" he answered groggily. "Fell asleep. Sorry." He then blinked for several times to make sure that he wouldn't fall asleep again.

It wasn't surprising, though. His sleep schedule had been a mess for the last month, due it being a school break. Not that the school break itself that caused that mess, but the 'stuffs he did' while he was on a break. He thought he would be able to manage it because it was a school break, but a thing that he thought was simple turned out to be more complex.

But that was another matter.

"Well, it's my fault for calling at this time—but seriously, I called you at the same time last month or something and you were awake so I thought it's not that late! In that case, it's better to keep this short."

"Nah. I'm good with one or two minutes extra time." Pushing his hand against the bed, he then got up to a sitting position. His thought that he should be getting enough sleep, but if it was his sister he didn't have anything against it. It had been a while since he saw her along with the rest of his family members. The feeling of wanting to see them again wasn't avoidable at all. At least, hearing his sister's voice could cure his loneliness a bit.

"Don't blame me if you woke up late, then," she warned shortly.

"I'm very well aware of the consequences, thank you very much," he said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah. I'm just kidding, anyway." Lily didn't wait to waste more time so she quickly moved onto another topic. "What did I want to say before… oh. You said you'll be attending, hm, what, Yamabashioka High?" She read the name slowly, dragging the syllables one-by-one, and from this he could guess that she was looking from the chat he sent a while ago as she read that. "What kind of school is that?"

"Just a normal public school… if that's what you're asking." He wasn't sure with her question, thus making him unsure with his answer.

"Oh," she said, after a moment of thoughtful silence. She left the word hanging, earning a question in return.

"What's with the 'oh'?"

"Nothing. I'm just wondering. I thought you'll be attending some specialty school—like a music school or art school… something like that? I always think you're really good at music," she paused. And as he was about to question the silence, she continued, "Although, have no idea about Japanese schools, so I can't imagine how it'd be like—but save that for later! I said I don't wanna make this long."

"Okay?" Not that he was planning on telling her right at that moment. It just didn't seem to be a suiting talk for that moment—at least, that was what he thought.

"But whatever the situation is, I hope you'll like it there! I guess that's it. I'll call you again later on, 'kay? Night!" And she disconnected.

It happened too fast for him to catch the whole thing. But as he hear the flat beeping sound from the other line he knew that she had hung up. It was okay if the conversation could go up a little bit longer, he thought, but he understood that she just didn't want to keep the talk long for the sake of his tomorrow.

"Although it'd be fine…"

But having that kind of thought was so selfish.

The phone in his hand flickered a while, showing his wallpaper for a brief second before it went off by itself. His room was as dark as before, nothing had changed, but with all the silence it felt a lot emptier than before. It was weird, considering that it was the same silence he dealt with every single day and night.

He flopped back down to the bed, but finding himself having no intention to sleep, not even to close his eyes. Despite the fact that he fell asleep during the talk, he found it impossible even to close his eyes once the conversation ended. As if someone had put a spell on him; _don't sleep, you won't sleep, you can't fall asleep._

If there was an analog clock hung on the wall, he was sure he'd be hearing its sound reverberating throughout the room. It was really silent, _too_ silent, that he could even hear his sister's voice ringing in his head.

Like an echo, the remainder of Lily's words resounded. But as much as it sounded like an echo, it wasn't quite like it. There was no case of echo where the sound becomes _louder_. But that was it, that statement rang louder and louder in his mind.

_I hope you'll like it there!_

He wondered if he _could_ like it there.

Thinking about that made him feel uncomfortable—if not uneasy. _Really uneasy_. He knew, she didn't mean it. She didn't mean it for sure. She wasn't trying to imply anything there, it was just her pure thought, her pure hope. She wasn't trying to remind him of what happened not long ago—he didn't even tell her in the first place, she wouldn't even know, let alone trying to remind him of it. But deep, deep inside of his heart, a voice asked with his doubtful voice, "What if that repeats again?"

What if…

_What if…?_

His mind was racing, his thought went too fast. More 'what if's crossed his mind, shouting at each other. And what he did was clutching the sheets as the feeling of worry started crawling throughout his body.

The faint thumping sound of his heart was no lullaby.

* * *

"EV System's New Song Has Reached 10,000 Views in Just One Night!"

It wasn't a huge headline on a news site. It didn't even get into a news site—at least, not yet. It was merely a blog post, but it was from a renowned blog among fellow music producers and their fans.

Because of the blog's high traffic, only the influential producers or songs were featured in there. Of course, posting about some obscure songs from obscure producers wouldn't bring any advantage to the blog, as it wouldn't reach so many views. Therefore, to get his video milestone recorded in there, he must had gotten recognized enough.

After all, whenever he posted a song, it was always a great news to the community.

EV System, a famous internet music producer; that was who he was.

While looking at the screen of his computer in his dimly lit home studio, once in a short period he felt his eyelids drooping without his consent. It was, after all, four in the morning. He quickly did a rapid blink to open his eyes wide again. Reading the feedbacks he received through his teary eyes which was caused by the constant yawning made him feel slightly uncomfortable, but it didn't bother him as much.

It hadn't been half a day since he uploaded the song, but the view count had skyrocketed. Although getting his song becoming a huge-hit in one night wasn't a rare thing, the number always fascinated him. After all, it never crossed his mind that he would get the fame by uploading his original songs to the internet.

He threw himself to the back of the chair with a smile stretched across his lips. It was nice, he thought. Having people enjoying his work made him happy. It brought a pleasure to himself, a pleasant happiness.

He was reluctant at first since he had just leaned back on the chair, but he pulled himself away to type something with the keyboard. Regarding that matter, it wouldn't be really nice not to thank people for their support.

He typed something in, nothing too long, just a, "Thank you everyone!" But that alone would make people happy—a simple gratitude would.

He wouldn't make it that far without them; that was why.

* * *

It was only after he put the contacts in that he could see his reflection clearly on the mirror. Only then he could realize how tired his eyes looked.

His unnaturally dark blue eyes were rimmed with reddish sclera. The folds on his upper eyelids seemed to increase in number, and he could see some thin eye bags forming just below it. No wonder his eyes felt so heavy. To be able to open his eyes wide was a later matter; he felt that his eyes were threatening to close if he didn't try hard to keep it open.

No good, having that look on the first day of school was no good. How ever he looked like in the first day would leave an impression to the others—that's why they said that first impression is important. But if things had turned that way… Glasses? Wearing glasses would at least conceal those bad-looking eyes, right?

He shook his head. That was even a worse idea than going the way he was, with those red eyes and puffy eye bags. There was no other way, although he knew that he would be abusing the use of eye drops.

A sigh escaped his lips. He should take care of the matters other than his eyes as well.

His hair went in wild directions, flying all over the place. Usually he paid no care to it, however, and his only attempt on making it neat was by running his finger through his head, which he did right away by habit. He never felt comfortable having his hair any way neat, after all.

His long-sleeved shirt was still in a state a new shirt should be, completely white with no messy fold lines. The same goes with his dark-gray trousers. It was always nice know that his uniform looked _right_ before going to the school. It was no rare case when he found out that he stored his newly-washed uniform the wrong way (he was too busy to do it, or perhaps he was just lazy, he didn't really know himself) and it ended up getting crumpled badly. He should pay more attention to his laundries this year.

After he tightened his turquoise necktie, he looked back at his reflection. Perhaps what was still missing was his blazer, but he only had to fetch it from his room along with his school bag. Other than that, he looked okay enough for school.

He thought he was ready to go, but even his own mind couldn't settle on that thought. Something was wrong, something was _not right_. There was something in his mind that caused him to have a doubt towards the truth lying in front of his eyes—the truth that he was _ready_ to go. What he was seeing was not an illusion, not something that only existed in his mind. It was visible, it was _real_—this reflection wasn't real, but he could physically see it—and despite of that, he refused to believe that fact.

Although, if he put a deeper thought to it, it didn't matter what kind of look was reflected in the mirror; he'd feel something was off even if he managed to get a better look than the condition he was in.

Maybe he was trying to run away.

He would be the one who knew that the best. And yes, now that he knew it, it _was_ the answer—he was obviously, undoubtedly, trying to run away. The emotions he was feeling and the reason why they were there, he could understand it all. He wouldn't stay awake for the whole night for nothing; in fact, what had been occupying his mind in the night was the reason why that doubt existed. The memories, along with the feelings that came out from those memories, piling up as if trying to remind him of something he didn't need to remember.

And as Lily had said it, "I hope you'll like it there!"

That was what she hoped. That was what he wished for. They both wanted the same thing to happen: for him to like it there, the new school. That wasn't a futile wish that wouldn't come true. It was, after all, a simple wish anyone could have it granted.

It was a simple wish that came from the depth of his heart, and the one who put doubts in it was himself. The contradiction inside of him, it was as if he was trying to fight himself.

Was that not good? That was no good, right?

As he gave that question to himself, the constant pings from his phone began to reach his ears. No, it hadn't just started pinging, it had been making sounds for a quite while before he finally registered it in his mind. His phone, the pings, _what time was it?_

Being snapped out from his reverie, he jolted back to life. A moment before he left the bathroom in a haste—he couldn't waste any more minutes—he threw a glance back to the mirror, making sure for the last time that he looked ready for school.

Placed carelessly on the couch was his phone, its screen lit from the notifications. He scooped it to his palms, quickly skimmed the notifications as he scrolled through it. Retweet, retweet, more retweets. Despite of the ridiculously large number of retweet notifications he received, it didn't surprise him the slightest.

"A new song from EV System-san! Really happy that it's finally here!" one notification said.

His thumb stopped doing the continuous sliding movement on the phone's touch screen, having it held on top of that certain notification—a reply which he had his eyes on. There was something from that text that caused him to momentarily think (what was he actually thinking of was a mystery even to himself). If he inspected it closer, however, it was really… nothing new. It was the usual thing that ought to happen whenever EV System uploaded a song to the internet.

Everyone would be hyped whenever that person uploaded a new song. A renowned music producer who gained his fame through the internet, having known to make catchy and distinctive music, of course the hype was inevitable.

Sure, people were hyped. The number of notifications in _his_ phone said it all.

He pressed the lock button, then slid the phone into his pocket. Wasting some more time was not good, he was going to get late for real if he continued on. He really should go, he _had_ to go. There was nothing he should be worried about. If EV System managed to attract people by his new song yet again, then he should be able to do the same.

He managed to pull it off, after all—the role of an internet music producer named EV System.

* * *

To tell the truth, spring wasn't her favorite season.

Everyone seems to like it when shy, tiny greens begin to grow from the dead-looking branches. As well as when the wind has that chilling, frosty breeze no more. The white disappears as if ascending to the sky above, revealing up the colorful world beneath. The cold and gloomy world has once more changed into the warm and lively one—and that's what spring is, the spring that people likes.

Rather than seeing things growing and everything coming back to life, the sight of falling leaves fascinated her much more. It had no slightest meaning that she didn't like spring, however. Nothing was wrong with everything coming back to life, but it was just not her beginning.

Traitor. Who decided to wear her hair in twin-tails in the first day of school—in the beginning of _spring_?

Standing in a straight posture, she had her head held high. She was a girl of average height, there was no way she could see the information pinned on the board without having to stand on her toes. Everybody was crowding in front of the board, they could not wait longer to see which class they were assigned in for the new school year.

The time when she found her name on the list was the time when it caught her eyes. Written some rows above hers was a name, one which she recognized very well.

She knew that name and the person who held that name. She knew _him_ so much—oh, it was exciting, it was _thrilling_. It thrilled her so much, she couldn't even hold her smile to herself.

She thought spring wasn't her favorite season, but she couldn't agree more to what they say about it—spring is the season of beginnings.

A beginning. _Well, of course_.

"This year, too. Be nice to me, okay, Le–n?"

* * *

~~I've never experienced spring.

Review Replies:  
EchoLinux — _Actually_ it has connection. I'm honestly surprised that you managed to notice it, but congrats for being the first person who mentioned it!  
Lalala — It'll try to! Thank you!  
MysterySeeker03 — I'll try to update this more regularly once I'm done with my other fic, 2 ongoings at the same time is too much for me, I guess.  
wintervilles — You have no idea how happy I am when received a following alert from you. 'Isn't this the person who writes Lover's Dementia?! I love that story! But is a silent reader whoops' like that. Then you sent a review. Resulted in me grinning like a weirdo for hours. Aside from that, yea, I noticed. I had to read the first chapter for a reference and noticed how messy it is... Thank you so so much for the review and follow!

Thank you for reviewing, favorite-adding, following and _reading_!


	4. Chapter 03: Weather Forecast

~~The prologue has been edited because I cannot stand my old writing. I couldn't even stand reading though it so I relied on my memory to rewrite it. Either way, I hope the new one would meet your expectation.

* * *

**Chapter 03**

**"Weather Forecast"**

* * *

"Hi there, I'm Hatsune Miku. It's nice to meet you!"

* * *

Left in his memory was the last thing he heard before he left his apartment in a haste—the sound of the television. Clear from any music accompanying in the background, the announcer's voice rang through his ears, "Today's weather will be sunny throughout the day."

And exactly that was what as far as his eyes could see during the walk to the school.

Len found it funny that the sky would look like that in the day of big occasion. It was, however, nothing but a conclusion he got only from his personal experience. That alone was enough, the occurrences were too often for him to ignore. The day of his birthday, the day of his family trip, the day of Christmas, it was always the clear, cloudless sky above him.

The first day of high school was no exception. Bustling through the city were hasty people, rushing in the morning to arrive on their workplace in time. In the middle of the busy streets was him, matching pace with the rushing people around him. Even in that kind of situation, he found it hard to ignore the above sky.

Blue; the sky was light blue. Yellowish light emerged from far away in the east where the sun was, making soft strikes of light. It wasn't the emptiest place in the city outskirts—the shadows of tall buildings haunted everywhere he went—but the sun ray never misses any gap it can pass through.

Yamabashioka High was located not far away from the city outskirts, but it was far from the bustling city. It was peaceful, it was serene. The lack of tall building made it easier to look at the sky—the empty sky and its clear blue color.

Sure. The sky was unsurprisingly clear.

Between him and the scenery was only a sheet of glass that belonged to the window; he managed to get the seat on the far back of the class, the farthest one from the door. Other than he could see the whole class from that spot, on his right was the window.

And the image in front of his eyes shattered once those words entered his ears.

He tore his eyes away from the window to find a girl leaning from the front of his desk with a triumphant smile. A moment before she opened her mouth to speak, she licked her lips, her smile not disappearing. "Or so I would say. But no, it's not nice to meet you—I mean, it's not 'not nice to meet you', it's _always_ nice to meet you! But it's better to say 'long time no see', don't you think so, Len?"

He chose not to answer her. He chose not to be bothered by her words. He chose to pretend that she _didn't_ say his name. There was another matter in his head, another matter that came to his mind when he saw her in front of his eyes.

No huge news, they got into the same school; she was keeping her words from back then when things hadn't gone downhill. The fact that they were assigned into the same class didn't surprise him as much, either, as he saw her name on the list when he was looking for his class earlier.

The surprise came from the girl herself. In a glance, nothing off could be seen from the girl. Like the other female students, she wore the light-gray blazer with a white shirt underneath, paired with a gray checkered skirt. But perhaps, it was a difference only he would notice.

Her long teal hair which he usually saw flowing down her back, was now tied in high twin-tails.

And so, "What's with that hairstyle?" was the question that came out from his mouth.

Her smile didn't seem to be faltering anytime soon. "Ah. I've thought that you'll take a notice to this." His eyes followed her hand, reaching the tail on the left of her head, caressing it a while before twirling it between her fingers. "I think you would have no problem with this, though? After all, you couldn't be bothered by this. It's just change of appearance."

"What are you planning?"

For a brief second, it seemed that she stopped playing around with her hair. As if his words, those ones he said without taking _whatever word she said_ into account, actually managed to bother her. She quickly regained her composure as her smile turned into a smirk. "Why, there's nothing I'm planning. Like what I've said, just a change of appearance," she explained. "Why don't you let your guard down and, y'know, don't put a suspicion on _everything_ I do?"

Driven by the emotion flowing through his veins, he clenched his fist. Being unable to understand the going-ons in her head, he hated that kind of situation. No matter what, there was no way he could put his guard down and 'not putting suspicion in things she did' as she said it—he had no other choice. Because no matter what, he could never see through her, into the things she hid inside of her.

It was natural that he would put suspicion on her, wasn't it?

He knew that she noticed his discomfort, how the sight _disturbed_ him very much. He was absolutely sure that she noticed it, and he knew that for that exact reason, she decided to disturb him in purpose.

"I hate you."

She giggled. "I'm the one who knows that the best, though?"

His eyes didn't leave her figure as she turned around and pull the chair out from the desk in front of his. "This is really far in the back… Can you even look at the board clearly from this distance?" she commented once got herself seated.

"Get your eye checked, then."

"Hm?" His reply made her turn her head back to him. "No, I'm fine, my eyesight is as good as perfect. What concerns me is you, though."

"Why are you even concerned about me?" He had no idea why he bothered to ask that instead of letting the conversation end right there.

Her face was now facing him fully. She propped her head by her elbows on his desk as she grinned—a Cheshire cat like grin. "Why, you ask? If you look deep into your memories, you sure will find the answer. I've said it to you before, after all."

_"I'll never hate you."_

He looked into her eyes, the blueish green eyes that seemed to spark against the sunlight. In return, she gave him a playful stare, a glint of joy was clearly visible in her eyes. It was as if, she had no intention to hide the fact that she was toying with him. But past that, nothing. He had not the slightest idea about the actual meaning behind her words.

He hated her. He hated her for that. He couldn't stand her; he started to scream in his mind, wishing that she would stop, just stop, _go away_.

All of sudden she turned away to face the board at the front, breaking the stare they'd been exchanging rather abruptly. Despite having that thought, he was surprised that she seemed to read his mind and did something about it. He didn't know whether she felt the atmosphere changing or it was something else, but as soon as he followed where she was looking now, he knew that it was just a coincidence—the teacher had just entered the class, that made all the students scurry back to the desks.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

* * *

"I hope we'll be able to work well together this year."

A faint screech of the legs of the chair came from the other side of the classroom as a student sat down after telling her introduction. As he shifted his glance briefly to the source of the noise, the teacher's voice came. "Kagamine-kun."

His eyes darted to the class, momentarily forgetting about the girl over there when he heard the name—again. Nobody was seen standing up from their seat, which would mean only one thing; the call was directed to him. He reluctantly stood up and bowed down before starting his introduction. "My name is Kagamine Len—"

"Oh." And his stare stopped at the teacher in front of the class. The teacher then looked back to the student list in his hand while saying, "Sorry for the interruption. I just realized that there are two Kagamine in this class, I suppose."

The teacher was saying that more to himself, and in that brief moment his eyes wandered to the owner of the name, the girl who sat on the other corner of the class. But before he could actually take even the slightest glance, a startling voice called, "You may continue," and he quickly averted his glance back to the class.

"I," he quickly spoke out to that, but pausing midway to recall what he was supposed to say; he was distracted enough to momentarily forget. "I write. Poems and lyrics, that kind of stuff. That's all, I hope we can be good friends this year."

After he finished by bowing down, the teacher said, "You may sit down," and he did as instructed. One passing thought nagged his mind right when he settled himself on his seat, and that was about the other Kagamine who was sitting on the other side of the class—he hadn't had the chance to look at her. Somehow, she held a familiarity that he himself didn't realize before. But where? Never once he stumbled to another Kagamine aside from his own family, nor to a particular girl who reminded him of her. But he was sure of it, _something_ about her was familiar.

He shrugged the thought off, deciding that it was nothing urgent. He would be able to see her later and think about it later. They were classmates, after all, and her call number was exactly before his; maybe they will get partnered often in group projects.

The introductions continued on until every thirty students in the class got their own turn. The warm light from the sun, seeping through the window beside him, kept on reminding him just how bright the weather was today. As if it was telling him to keep up with the weather—he should stay bright, awake. At least, that was his intention. But it didn't go as planned. Even from the beginning of the homeroom session, he had been holding his yawns and keeping his eyes opened wide, needless to say that he was very much uncomfortable with his current condition. The nature didn't fail to turn his discomfort into a pleasurable comfort, though. As much as he wanted to stay awake, as much as he wanted to know everyone better, the warm sun was slowly lulling him into sleep.

And before he knew it, a voice called out to him; "Stayed up late again?"

Being snapped out from his daze felt like being slapped—his eyes were now wide open, and it quickly focused on the girl sitting in the desk in front of him. Shortly after she got his attention, Miku continued her question, "Were you working on something?"

"Not really. There was… something else." Lily's call, but there was no need to say it. He quickly dismissed the conversation, having no intention to have a talk with her. Turning his attention away, he scanned the class in a glance, but failed to get a good grasp of what was happening over there. Did he really fall asleep just then?

"It's free time now," Miku informed him. Although, from his observation, it did not seem that free—the teacher was still on his desk, albeit now watching the students no more. But the students, at least most of them, had left their desk to go to the other desk, made small groups and started their chattering.

"Well," she began, nervousness audible in her voice, "the teacher told us to have a good chat with each other."

He didn't even bat an eye to her, but as an indication that he understood her explanation, he threw a nonchalant question to her, "Why don't you go over there yourself?"

She gave him a wry smile. "I was about to. I'm thinking about you, too, you know. It _is_ the first day of school, after all."

Len narrowed his eyes. "Just… mind your own business and leave mine."

"Hm? Sure, just don't regret it later."

She agreed to it fast; it was odd. Although, he couldn't care less, as long as she's away from him, that would be good. With that she hopped off her desk and began walking around the class. Miku stopped by the middle of the room, greeting a group of girls and saying something else to them—that was all he saw before he turned away, looking to the window that he found more interesting. And besides, before anything else, he should erase that sleepiness away.

The sun was still shining brightly as ever. It wasn't the hottest season, but one could argue about the brightness of the sun. A skyscraper stood high in the air; it was clearly visible even from the distance he was in, a school located in the border between the city and the suburbs. He thought he wouldn't able to see its top if there was even the thinnest cloud up there.

And it didn't look like the weather would change anytime soon.

_"Today's weather will be sunny throughout the day."_

Perhaps, he should go, too.

Right when he stood up from his seat, however, he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Instinctively he put his hand in, feeling the gadget in his grip, but stopping before he could do anything else. Was it okay to take his phone out in the class? Sure, they was not in the middle of the lesson, but the teacher was still in the room.

A moment passed, and he took his hand out, but not with his phone. It could wait, he thought, as he walked to the front.

"Hey there! C'mere, c'mere!"

His eyes flew to the source of the voice, quickly finding two boys sitting next to the window, one of them occupying a turned-around chair. The other person, the one with spectacles framing his eyes, had his hand waved slightly, motioning Len to come closer. Len threw away his thought from before doing as they requested. "What is it?"

"We're kinda short of…" The guy eyed him through his spectacles for a moment, then he turned his eyes upwards, as if trying to picture something in his head. "Forget that. Square Tone and Alterafter*, which one is better?"

Len couldn't help but raising his eyebrows at the sudden question that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Band groups, huh. Although, thankfully it was a topic he understood fairly well, but having to put a choice on one would be hard for him. Both made good songs, nice arrangements, and everything else. Not to mention their live shows was said to be worth viewing. What should he say as an answer?

"I'll go with Alterafter, I guess…"

The other guy—not the one who called him earlier—then nodded, a smug smile plastered on his face. "See? Just like what I said, people prefer Alterafter, after all!"

The bespectacled guy then heaved a sigh in defeat. "Not that I hate Alterafter, but it's just, Square Tone doesn't get much spotlight lately…" Then he threw his gaze to Len. "Don't you think so?"

"Yeah. Ever since Alterafter's album topped the chart, the hype on Square Tone kinda… died down," he said. "I personally still follow their works. It just, like what you said, doesn't get that much attention."

"Wow, you actually look into it that way. That's nice." The other guy leaned his head on his hand, propping it on the table with his arm while nodding in agreement. "Well, gotta admit it, with that hype going around everywhere, it's really not hard to lost track of the other bands. But I'm still on Alterafter's side, though."

"Not that I'm against you, but I originally thought there were more people who still follow Square Tone. It's kinda disappointing now that you said that," he said that, and laughed it off. Just a moment, then he turned his attention back to Len who was still standing by the desk. "Oh, sorry, that was so sudden, forgive my rudeness. I haven't even had the chance to introduce myself! Sorry, I got too excited about these kind of stuffs."

"He may be having this kinda dorky look, but he's crazy about these kind of stuffs. Usually you'd be expecting this kind of style in the libraries," the other guy chimed in, poking fun at his too-plain appearance.

"Again with that stereotyping. But, yeah, I'm not dorky. I'm pretty confident of myself."

"What makes you say that, anyway?"

"I… actually offered myself to be the class representative."

"For real?! You didn't tell me!"

While the two were continuing their little chatter, Len watched, without moving away from his standing position. Something actually prevented him from doing so, which was, his own sentiments. Despite being left out from the on-going conversation, in that moment, he could feel himself enjoying the situation. It made him feel at ease, for a reason that he might or might not realize. Those daunting thoughts left from last night's conversation were washed away the moment he realized it. Perhaps, what was still left behind was the fatigue from the lack of sleep, but he could not care less about that. The smiles, the laughter that cut through the noises, the carefree atmosphere that hung in the air; just about all the things that calmed down the nagging uneasiness inside of him was all that he needed to care.

From the corner of his eyes was still, the undoubtedly bright sun shining down the earth, brimming the clear sky of the beginning of spring with its warm light.

* * *

"I brought snacks."

He glanced at the plastic bags on her hand, then his eyes traveled up to her face. "Thanks."

At the eye contact, she widened her eyes, but then her glance softened as a thin smile appeared on her face. Walking farther into the music studio, she made her way to couch where she then settled herself on. She let loose of her grip on the bags, letting it hit the carpeted floor with a noisy rustling sound.

By the time she was finished with her little business, he had left the desk, leaving the computer he had been working with. "Although you really don't need to do this…" he muttered, rummaging the inside of the bag with his hand. He only stopped when his hand brushed against something rather unusual. A slice of cake, packaged in a triangle-shaped plastic wrapping.

Looking at that, she tensed in her seat. She knew that sooner or later he's going to find the cake she bought, but she couldn't help it. Finally he let out the question she had been waiting for, "A cake?"

She stiffened. "Y-yeah. I want to congratulate you, that your new song reached the first place in the ranking. I… I know that I should actually give the cake to you, not making you find it in there by yourself, but since it's now too late for it, um, congratulations, EV System-san."

His peculiar blue eyes seemed to glint with amusement from behind his lenses, but maybe that was just her feeling. "No, I mean, if it's not for your hard work as well, we wouldn't have reached that place!" he said with face undoubtedly happy. "As a producer, my work would mean nothing if it's wasn't for you. Your voice is what turns the words and notes into a sound that reaches everyone, you know."

"I know," she giggled along. "But words make the sound meaningful. Even a singer can't really do much without the music that accompanies it."

"Well," he looked up to her, "it's our work, together."

"It sure is," she replied, smiling down at him.

Suddenly she had a piece of cake shoved on her. EV System had already cut a small piece of the cake and snuck a fork on it—the one that was being offered to her. "Then it's a celebration for the two of us. Congratulations!"

Without saying anything, she opened her mouth and took the cake in one bite. It was delicious, she thought as she ate on it slowly. Weird, it was not someone's homemade cake, nor a gift given for her, either, yet it tasted like one of those cakes although she was the one who bought it herself.

She watched him, sitting on the warm carpet while leaning his back on the sofa. The fork he used to give her the cake was still in his hand, empty. Without cutting another piece of the cake and eating one himself, he then spoke, "Do you ever think about it, Mirai-san?"

With her mouth full, the only answer she could make was a muffled, "Hmm?"

"About how long we've been doing this. Making songs, singing songs, uploading it to the internet…"

"I wonder. Has it been two years? Almost two years?" She leaned forward after swallowing the remaining of the cake, reaching for his hand to take the fork.

He absentmindedly cut the cake, snuck a fork on it, and brought it up to his mouth—the same time she pulled her hand away. Before he got a bite of it, however, he spoke, "Since we met each other in the park, in a windy autumn afternoon; has it been that long?"

"I guess."

She let the silence fall, and all she did was staring at him, slowly opening his mouth to finally eat the cake. Another moment passed when he took his time to savor the cake, and she still did nothing. The silence was slowly devouring her, and being caught in such a suffocation was driving her crazy—she wasn't the most talkative person ever, but she couldn't stand the silence—so she opened her mouth again.

"Hey."

Now it was him who turned his head to her, mouth still stuffed with food. "Hmm?"

"I really… wouldn't mind this continuing on." Her eyes traveled to the brightly lit monitor on the desk. That computer was where every single piece of their work was stored, only then she realized that how much value that computer held, and that _his_ computer might be a treasure for her. "If… forever is not too much to ask for."

Mirai could see him smiling from the corner of her eyes. "I wouldn't mind, either."

* * *

The same music went on and on, repeating in a seemingly endless loop in her ears. In the silence of the night, in the darkness of the room, the loneliness barely scratched her shut-in heart, dying out before it could reach deeper into her. It was as if all those sound coming from her headphone had killed that feeling.

A pair of sleepless blue eyes shone bright against the light of the phone, not a slightest sign of tiredness visible in those eyes. She felt quite giddy, which she knew, was not what she should feel in the middle of the night. If anything, it only made her unable to fall asleep even more. But being loaded with overflowing happiness, she couldn't find her way to slumber no matter how many times she turn and toss around, bringing her to that sleepless condition.

"EV System-san's new song…"

A smile bloomed on her face.

"I too, have done my best today."

* * *

*_Square Tone_ and _Alterafter_: fictional band names

* * *

~~There's a increase of follows on this story, I noticed. Thank you so much, I appreciate every single number of your support! And more importantly, thank you for reading.

Review Replies:  
DontMindMe1234 — I'm glad you love this story, thank you so much!  
EchoLinux — I meant to reveal EVS' identity in both stories at the same time so I wouldn't spoil anything (that story, especially). Yeah, more less it was something like that. Thank you for the review!


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